Haruto 晴翔: Yoake 夜明け
by EliBacon
Summary: Particular individuals among the new generation are found to possess the will to aid in the ending of this impending calamity. This is a story that follows one possessing a somewhat royal heritage. Despite a pitiful family history and upbringing, Haruto learns how to deal with the past, overcome the present and, hopefully, bring forth a victorious future. (Full blurb in Chapter 1)


**Full Blurb (Since it was too big to put in the story description):**

**In an era where peace was believed to be achieved, lands underwent further turmoil and distress. Suspicion, hostility, loss of trust, misunderstandings and bloodshed. Only a few were enlightened to understand the inevitable loop of war and peace, expecting it to revolve yet once again.**

**Following the events of the 4th Shinobi World War, the citizens of Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure, take a unified stand in the name of peace and treaty. Although with the rise of a growing criminal force and the prospect of another possible extraterrestrial invasion, the union between certain nations is but a mere thread, on the verge of snapping. **

**Particular individuals among the new generation are found to possess the will to aid in the ending of this impending calamity. This is a story that follows one possessing a somewhat royal heritage. Despite a pitiful family history and upbringing, Haruto learns how to deal with the past, overcome the present and, hopefully, bring forth a victorious future.**

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters, concepts and plot from the "Naruto", "Naruto Shippuden" and "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" works, which are trademarked by "Shueisha Inc." (Kabushiki-gaisha Shūeisha). **

**All respects paid to the original content creators:**

** \- MASASHI KISHIMOTO ("Naruto" and "Naruto Shippuden" - Writer and Illustrator; "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" (Manga & Anime) - Overseer)**

** \- UKYŌ KODACHI ("Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" (Manga) - Writer; (Anime) - Overseer)**

** \- MIKIO IKEMOTO ("Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" (Manga) - Illustrator)**

A cold, crisp, piercing breeze, accompanied by roaring thunder. Rain, pleasantly tapping along the roof of the estate, producing tranquil tones amid the locale. The satisfying crackle and rustic aroma of a lit fireplace stocked appropriately with logs of wood in abundance. A grand structure of wood and stone, humbly set, made into a mannerly, ardent home. Numerous broad windows serving as the eyes of the Yuki Clan Headman's residence.

"Yuuto-kun? Pay attention."

"Y-yes.. mother," Yuuto responds as he twiddles his fingers, only to immediately sit back up and face the man sitting ahead of him, after composing himself.

"Son... you are the future of our people... our clan," Kaito says after standing up, walking towards the lengthy windowsill, staring at the rain and lightning strikes outside.

"My expectations are at an all-time high for you. I can confidently say that I will not be disappointed."

Yuuto looks down slightly, away from the direct gaze of his father's eyes, only to look back up at him within seconds. He stood up and took a step forward, his mother looking on with a glazed countenance.

"Yes, father... I am not one to disappoint those who have high hopes for me. I have also learned numerous things from you both. I will surely be a worthy clan leader candidate, who has the resolve to lead such a mass of people, although I can only be successful given your blessings. Father, Mother."

Saeko stands up and walks slowly towards her son with a tender smile. She begins holding him gently from behind, allowing her body to press against his, manifesting a true mother's embrace.

"Yes, my son. Your father and I love you immensely," she says after tucking a portion of her flowing, dark brown hair behind her left ear. "You've grown so much. I definitely commend your exploits and am a proud mother."

Kaito turns his gaze away from his view of the outside world through the grand window and redirects it towards Yuuto.

"Yuuto... I agree with what your mother has said," he replies as he holds his wife's hand while placing another atop his son's head. "I hope you have listened attentively to what we discussed earlier... As for now, your mother and I need to depart promptly for the biannual meeting with our fellow leaders for the Kirigakure Clans Council. So, be a good boy now and stay safe," Kaito responds, ending his speech with a childish tone.

"Indeed," Saeko says in addition. "Under no circumstance are you to leave home. Your uncle and aunt will arrive sooner or later to supervise you. Only with their permission may you leave this vicinity. Why am I saying such?" she says, exchanging a quick glance with her husband, "Because it's for your safety."

"Yes, Father. Yes, Mother. I will do as instructed. I pray you both return to the district unharmed..." Yuuto responds.

"There is no need to worry, my son," Kaito says while patting him. "Your mother and I will have escorts and if the opportunity arises, we shall protect ourselves. Don't underestimate us."

Kaito and Saeko were well prepared for their journey to the community hall of Kirigakure - for the clan heads council meeting which they are obligated to attend. Both gather in the spacious foyer of their grand home, adorning their feet with traditional footwear.

"Well, we shall be on our way now," Kaito says while walking down the steps leading to the gravel ground which leads to the streets of the district.

"Yes. Farewell son," Saeko says as she gracefully follows her beloved husband, clothed in a majestic, regal kimono which flowed ever so elegantly.

Just as the two lovers make their way outside, the rain dissipates and the sun breaks forth. Rays of sunshine burst into the sky as they are freed from the menacing thick, grey clouds. They make their way down polished cobblestone steps to meet up with their escorts, exchanging greetings and frisky remarks. Yuuto looks on as he peers through the glass on the front doors of their home. Kaito senses Yuuto's gaze and looks back over his shoulder, prompting him to quickly hide and head upstairs to his bedroom to continue observing. It was the highest situated room in the home, making it effortless for him to keep track of his parents. Kaito's face was clearly expressing happiness and optimistic energy as he, his wife and entourage began their trip.

Yuuto continued watching his parents and persistently tracked their movements through the district. He was able to see quite a distance from his bedroom window, especially since the estate was set up on a high hill among the Yuki clan district. As his parents arrived at the gates and exited the district, he decided to go collect his binoculars to ease the strain on his eyes.

Once he returned from collecting his gifted pair of spectacles, the group were a couple of metres past the Yuki clan district gate but he noticed something odd... All of a sudden, the group had been confronted by what seemed to be a bunch of malicious, bandit shinobi. They were standing idle and talking, although Yuuto could not make out what exactly it was that they were saying. In the blink of an eye, all of the escorts fainted and were soon appearing to be lying on the ground with only Kaito and Saeko standing upright.

Yuuto began to feel excessively anxious. He quickly ran downstairs to secure and close all of the windows, pulled down all the blinds and then returns to his bedroom to call his uncle Issei through the landline phone set on his study desk.

Beep beep... beep beep... beep- "Come on, come on..." Beep... beep... Be-

"Hel-"

"Kiba-ojisan!" Yuuto blurts out, as soon as his uncle had answered the phone.

"Ahh, Yuuto-kun. What's the mat-"

"Ojisan, it's... it's my father and mother! I was watching them head off to the meeting that's being held today in the community hall and all of a sudden their escorts are all on the floor and my father and mother are surrounded by some suspicious people... I don't want to interfere but I am worried..."

"Eh... That's serious. No one has been reported to be attacked for a VERY long time... I will need to survey them from afar but before that, I need to check up on you. Where are they?"

"Th-they are j-just outside the district gate, uncle," Yuuto says while trembling.

"I will be on my way. I must protect you no matter what. They might have an extra group targeting you too. We may never know. Expect a knock at your door soon. Also, always remember to check through the peering glass on the door before you open it, understood?"

"Y-yes, uncle."

Kiba ends the call and Yuuto continues to wait for his uncle to arrive. After about 10 minutes, much to his surprise, his uncle brought his wife with him. As soon as he opened the door, his aunt hugs him.

"Greetings, Yuuto," Kiba says politely.

"Oh Yuuto-kun, are you alright?" a rather short lady says while hugging him and also looking around the home. "Hmm... are your siblings still on their academy excursion? Well, I guess so... Anyways what's happening? I heard your parents-"

Yuuto interrupts Tamaki by holding her hand and taking her upstairs, with his uncle following them after closing the door.

"Tamaki-obasan, can you see them?" Yuuto says while pointing out through the large window and handing his aunt the pair of binoculars. "It's my mother and father... They have been stopped and I'm scared. This is all happening right outside the district gate..."

"Alright," Kiba interrupts, "I'll definitely observe them closely. I'm sure you know how powerful your father and mother are. They will not be overwhelmed easily.

"Y-yes uncle... I'm worried but I will also have hope!" Yuuto says shakily.

Tamaki comforts her nephew while her husband wears his ANBU mask and makes his way outside the home, closing the door behind him. He was trained for stealthy operations in sticky situations so Kiba knew failure was not an option, no not for something as important as this...

"I will not repeat myself after this final time. What do you want?" Kaito says with a very loud, assertive voice which didn't attract any attention due to the villagers being a safe distance away.

Throughout this entire ordeal, Kiba had been stealthily using the Body Flicker Technique (a technique where chakra temporarily vitalises the body and allows the user to move at untraceable speeds, regularly confused with teleportation) to travel behind their surroundings so he wouldn't be traced by the enemy forces. He stopped behind a large tree which was behind Kaito and Saeko. Automatically, Saeko sensed the presence of a familiar chakra signature and understood who it was - this was simply an effortless manifestation of her renown chakra sensory skills.

"You know what we want," a heavy, croaky voice says from within the group. A towering individual emerges from the crowd to stand a couple of metres away from Kaito and his Saeko. He dons a bright red kimono with a few black streaks and a pair of wooden sandals. His facial features consisted of small dark brown eyes, a small sharp nose and thin lips set in an oval frame, complete with jet black hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"I do not know you, neither do I or my wife know what you're doing here or what your goal is..."

"Oh, it's very simple. Well, first of all, Mr Yuki, my name and identity are not necessary," the stranger says while flashing a forehead protector which has so many scratches on it, the village symbol inscription was unreadable. "I am just here to take what you seem to be in possession of. The Yuki clan scrolls. All. Of. Them."

This ominous character seemed to be the leader of the malicious group which confronted them, obviously since he had gestured for his men to remain passive throughout this confrontation. The situation became more heated, as the enemy troops were becoming restless and ready to engage in battle.

"May I?" Saeko says after giving Kaito a glimpse and closing her eyes.

"Sure, my love."

Saeko stood still and performed several hand signs faster than the normal eye could see. A shroud of lightning natured chakra emanates from her body as she abruptly dashes through the enemy crowd. With flashes of lightning, she succeeded in electrifying the whole squad, leaving them dropping to the floor paralysed, except for the leader who seemed to not have been affected by the attack.

Saeko remains calm as she turns around to face the leader, with Kaito on the other side of him. Saeko holds a hand sign and closes her eyes to use her chakra sensory. Armed with a kunai, the enemy leader charges towards Saeko but Kaito runs towards him while covering his hand with ice, shaping it to become a shortsword. This prompted the enemy to use his kunai against the ice but as he is simply overwhelmed by the sheer power and hardness of the ice, he lost grip and the kunai was deflected into a nearby bush.

As Kaito allows the instantly generated ice to fall off from his hand, the two engage in taijutsu combat. With agile, strong punches and kicks, Kaito successfully subdues him, seemingly ending his life after holding the Tiger hand sign, creating a large spike of ice which emerged from the ground beneath him, piercing his whole abdomen.

All of a sudden, Kaito saw a small cloud-like puff. The enemy that he thought was finished off had used the "Body Replacement Technique", replacing his assumed body with a medium-sized log of wood. Saeko stops scouting the area with chakra sensory to attempt pinpointing the location of the fleeing foe.

She abruptly senses his presence among a cluster of bushes, which were further ahead of the neat cobblestone path they were travelling on, north of the Yuki clan district gate. An unanticipated clutch of kunai was launched from the enemy's direction, yet Kaito and Saeko evaded them easily, dashing towards the foe in order to finish him off. However, it seemed that there were more enemy reinforcements which could be seen approaching in the distance...

Kiba, witnessing all this, decides to stand up and engage. He performs the Tiger hand sign to use the Body Flicker Technique and, almost instantly, appears beside Kaito.

"Greetings, brother. Sister," Kiba said quietly.

"Kiba? When did you- it was Yuuto wasn't it…," Kaito hurriedly replies.

"That doesn't matter right now," Kiba says while readying his kunai, "Your focus should be on the enemies at hand."

The relatives rally, and take a moment to briefly converse with one another, formulating some type of plan or strategy just like they have done so in time past.

"Kaito... Kiba-kun… There's roughly 330 shinobi altogether now. I've furthered my sensory to its limits and I cannot feel any other shinobi besides the ones I have tracked," she says while sighing. "Two are blocking off this road's entrance from the Kirigakure suburbs area… I assume to prevent anyone from knowing about this assault. They're all in front of us, as you can see. We should be able to finish this easily. Also, their 'leader' is sitting on that same hilltop..."

"Understood."

The foes begin running at full force towards the three Yuki clan members. The three of them exchange quick glances and nod. To avoid bringing unwanted attention and destruction to their clan's district, Kiba dashes left, Kaito dashes right and Saeko takes a great leap over the group of men in front of her but remains on the cobblestone path, to increase the distance they were from the clan district. The enemy leader signals for his troops to split up and follow them.

Kiba lures a third of the hostile party into the wilderness, full of thick vegetation, trees and a significant amount of dense mist - perfect for assassination. Kaito lures a third of the enemies onto the nearby ocean. As for Saeko, she stays to deal with the remaining forces.

Kaito performs a couple of hand signs, related to his clan's Ice Release techniques, then places both of them on the ground. His chakra begins entering the waters and spreading through their vicinity. Suddenly, the surface of the ocean around him and all the enemies that chased him drops in temperature and turns into ice. Now the shinobi didn't need to concentrate a portion of their chakra into staying afloat on the waters. He stands up and holds the Dog hand sign, focusing his chakra to create a thick dome around him and the group of shinobi on the ocean to prevent them from escaping his attacks. The temperature of the air encased by the dome continues to drop rapidly while the ice absorbs the chakra of the enemies trapped therein.

"Hmph! You really were foolish to follow me of all people onto the ocean of all places," Kaito says. "As a reward, I won't show any mercy!" he yells.

While Kaito, Kiba and Saeko face their own confrontations, Yuuto and Tamaki are seated in the safety of Kaito's home, hoping for their family members to overcome the dangers and return safely. Yuuto had been pacing up and down, frantically because he felt insecure about his parents' safety. Tamaki noticed this and kept trying to reassure him.

"Haruto-kun... no need to be worried. Your father and mother are very powerful shinobi. Matter of fact, they are the most potent among all the known Yuki throughout our district," she says softly as she stands up and walks towards Yuuto, giving him a hug. "Even my very own Kiba-kun is with them! And you know your uncle is no pushover."

"I... I know that but-"

"No buts. We're going to sit here and wait for them. You cannot go outside, because we don't know what the enemy's goal is. What if they want to kidnap you?"

"Kidnap? Well, that would be a hard feat for them to achieve," Yuuto remarks.

"Dream on Yuuto… You haven't even passed my training regime yet. Anyways, how about I go make you something to eat? I know you love my home cooking..." Tamako says with a luring tone.

Yuuto couldn't dismiss this juicy proposal. Meals which Tamako alone has been known to make throughout the clan populace. Mouthwatering, elegant.. mortifyingly scrumptious. There are no words to describe the phenomenon known as 'Aunt Tamako's cooking'. Without delay, Haruto organises the large dining hall table, where all meals must be eaten, no exceptions. Such a long, majestic table which was resonant with the lavish abode which housed it. But besides food, Yuuto had something else in mind. His parents, obviously, and also his beloved uncle Kiba.

He had planned to go against his aunt's orders but also didn't want to. Not doing something but also wanting to do it is exactly like looking to your left and right at the same time... Now that sounded familiar... Very familiar... Yuuto knew exactly how to escape his conundrum. The Shadow Clone Technique, obviously. Yuuto always found himself caught up reading shinobi history books and newspaper articles concerning the affairs of the other shinobi villages, Konohagakure in particular. Naruto Uzumaki is not only one of the largest influencers of the shinobi world, but Yuuto's idol.

However, was Yuuto even allowed to use such a technique? Kaito and Saeko forbade him to do so due to not having very good chakra control. But in certain circumstances, he was given permission due to possessing large chakra reserves. Would his father be upset that he used it? Certainly, but it is to serve a greater purpose. Without hesitation, Yuuto holds up the clone hand sign to create one shadow clone of himself. The original Yuuto heads for his bedroom, creeping up the stairs, while his clone stayed behind, who would act and eat on his behalf. Fortunately for him, Aunt Saeko was busy in the kitchen cooking something up so she didn't notice what Yuuto was scheming. Well, that's what he thought.

Once he reaches his bedroom, Yuuto opened the door quietly. Hooded jacket, sweatpants and a beanie. Conventionally fit for a 16-year-old. With this attire, Yuuto leaves his abode through the bedroom window and begins dashing off towards the district gate. His heart was racing vehemently as he was about to jump over the sealed gate to confront the attackers. He felt so ashamed for someone of his calibre, a Chūnin, creeping out of his clan's estate against orders. Much to his surprise, a familiar voice called out to him with an angry tone.

"Yuuto, what on earth are you doing?! I told you not to leave home! Come here now, before I take you down. I suggest you don't resist because you know what I can do. Here. Now."

"Y-yes Tamako-obasan..."

Yuuto and Tamako return home and sat down to their meal. Tamako lectured Yuuto about his actions and told him about how she knew that he would try to escape to confirm the wellbeing of his parents.

"There's nothing to worry about, they'll be fine. I have faith in your parents, especially your father. Besides, look outside. It's snowing now and I hope you know what that means. It's our good luck charm. Now eat your food."

Saeko had been effortlessly subduing the mass of shinobi attacking her. In fact, because it was too easy, she became suspicious. She knew she wasn't caught in a genjutsu, so she continued observing the movements of the people she was battling. When she noticed that it began to snow moderately, she felt more positive about the situation.

To end the ordeal on a rather quick note, Saeko leaps backwards, gracefully landing on one foot while gently placing the other behind it. She begins weaving the hand signs Boar, Ram, Snake, Horse and Dragon (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder) to build up a sizeable amount of chakra and perform a large scale lightning release. Powerful surges of lightning are pulsating from her body and continue to grow in size and frequency as more chakra is focused into the technique. Saeko dashes into the centre of all the weakened shinobi and releases her lightning natured chakra in all directions in what looked to be a massive explosive burst of light, electrocuting and killing all of the enemies around her. However, their leader didn't experience the exact same fate.

"You know, that was quite a powerful technique… You almost killed me!" the mysterious man says as he stands up with a shroud of wind swirling around his body, dispersing as he finished speaking. "I cloaked myself with wind to counter your attack, although it was so powerful it almost broke through!"

"Oh my, well now it's time to finish you off once and for all," Saeko says as she jumps towards him with small sparks of lightning fluttering from her hands.

"Heh, you're a fool if you think I came here to simply allow myself to be defeated by the Lightning Priestess of Kirigakure? Quite the contrary," he says while standing up and facing Saeko. "I know who you truly are and my true goal is to take you back, dead or alive… Ka- ga- mi- chan."

Saeko froze and begins trembling shortly after.

"Hmm? Did that anger you? I'm ever so sorry my dearest baby sister. But… You need to stop your bad habit of freezing up," he says mockingly.

The mysterious man holds the Ram hand seal to undo a jutsu which hid his true appearance. His previous look was simply a Transformation Technique. He emerged from a small cloud wearing a black kimono with many gold accents, an average stature, chiselled jawline, bright turquoise eyes and dead-straight, crimson hair.

"Wh-what are you d-doing here, Mitsue?" Saeko stutters. "I don't have anything to do with you or them anymore so why-"

"Because you're family, Kagami… How else can I make you understan-"

"So family are people who treat you like trash and throw you out of your home simply because you're 'half-cast'? That's what you call family? Oh please, spare me this rubbish. Also, I don't answer to that pathetic name. Kagami is father's crea-"

"Are you coming back or not?" Mitsue says while pointing at her, "Father insists-"

Saeko quickly performs a few hand signs, for some unknown purpose, and charges towards her brother with all of her force, in an act of pure rage, distress and hatred.

"Oh Kagami, you never learn do you?"

Saeko's brother takes a quick glance into her eyes and almost instantly, she becomes paralyzed - struggling yet unable to move an inch. He holds the Snake hand sign and feathers can be seen descending slowly from above. Saeko tries to regain her composure so she can prevent falling into another genjutsu, as well as getting out of the one she's currently in. She fails in her frantic attempts of pursuing freedom from her sibling's psychological clutches and is lulled into a deep sleep.

"Heh, you truly never learn Kagami-chan," Saeko's brother says. "Not even someone of the likes of you can defend against my genjutsu. I've been refining my techniques ever since you defeated me all those years ago. Oh well, time to go home."

Saeko's brother picks her superficially lifeless body up, placing her on his back. As he turns around to take his leave, not bothering about the troops he brought with him, an ominous voice can be heard.

"Mitsue… You might be my superior, but you know very well that you should never underestimate your opponents. Especially me."

"Wait, what? H-how? You were under my genjutsu…"

"I was never under your genjutsu. I took advantage of your pride and the fact that you riled me up, to use it against you."

"Hmph, you've always been a smart child. I pity you, though."

A dense and powerful surge of built up chakra is suddenly released from Mitsue's body, freeing him from Saeko's manipulation.

"Now it's time to get serious. You're coming back with me. Now!"

"Over my dead body, you good for nothing tool."

The two family members dash into each other, clashing over a series of thrown punches and kicks. Saeko continues generating electricity and coats herself with it to increase her striking speed and defence. However, Mitsue shrouds himself with wind to neutralise Saeko's lightning and to also push her around. Mitsue jumps up, clenches his left fist and prepares to strike Saeko as he comes down.

Despite her brother's speed, Saeko dodges the attack without a scratch. However, Mitsue didn't seem bothered because he prepared to strike the ground instead. As his balled fist made contact with the cobblestone path, a devastating blow which destroyed it and upended the earth over a wide area around them. This attack could be heard, and felt, over a long distance. Taking advantage of the large chunks of earth displaced around them, which created suitable hiding spots, Saeko hid behind a thin, vertical slab of rock and tries regaining focus.

"So now you've resorted to hiding from me? How tragic," Mitsue says as he stands up from delivering his earthquaking blow. "You know that is useless against me. I won't let you feel me again. Guess it's time to wrap things up…"

Mitsue becomes very agitated for being fooled by his 'inferior' younger sister earlier and as a result, now intends to kill her by any means. He is able to sense her presence with minimal effort due to their family's innate skill in chakra sensory and while he crosses his arms, a series of dull gold chakra chains emerge from his back. They are sent out like missiles, seeking out Saeko's location.

Saeko dashes all around her brother, seeking short, temporary moments of refuge behind the clusters of upended earth, but Mitsue's chains find no problem in ripping through the debris. It didn't take long for the chains to eventually catch up to Saeko, as soon as she was about to pounce on Mitsue. She becomes restrained with no means of escape and the inability to use ninjutsu due to the neutralising effect that the chains have on the chakra of its victims.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains. A fūinjutsu only used by certain members of the Uzumaki clan. Glorious isn't it? Such a shame you couldn't manifest them, Kagami," Mitsue says as his sister continues struggling in the chains.

Mitsue places his hands together, building up chakra and causing the chains to glow more radiantly. He was neutralising Saeko's chakra so much, she lost consciousness. Mitsue prepares 3 more chains to pierce her vital organs, namely the brain, heart and throat.

As Mitsue is about to deliver the finishing blow, she mouths the words "I love you, elder brother," before meeting her gruesome end. Mitsue's chains dissipate and he dashes to catch her lifeless body before it hits the ground. For a moment, as if he had finally regained morality, Mitsu sentimentally strokes her hair, kisses her forehead and sheds gentle tears before breaking into a sorrowful weep.

"I love you too. Saeko… I'm sorry. You know what happens to those who oppose father. I had to..." he says as his tears pour onto her face.

"Oh come on, you are surely better than this. Such pitiful performance," Kaito says as he handles the last of the hostile party with ease.

The foes under Kaito's care have become human popsicles - frozen solid. The air within the ice dome had continued dropping in temperature, affecting everyone except Kaito, who was already accustomed to similar temperature extremes and, not to mention, being the user of the technique.

"Well well, it was a fun time but I must leave now. May all of you rest in peace," he says, bowing to them.

Kaito destructs the ice dome he created and stops maintaining it with his chakra. After weaving multiple hand signs, the ice becomes water and merges into the ocean while all of the corpses that were upon it sink to the ocean's bottom. After a successful subduing, he scales a cliff face to return back to where Saeko was.

In the not so far off misty wilderness of Kirigakure, Kiba was finished having his own fun. Brutally, yet silently assassinating the foolish men that dared attempt an assault on the Yuki district.

He too returns to their original location to meet up with his brother and sister-in-law. Much to their surprise, Kaito and Kiba could both see the damaged area leading up to their rendezvous point. They pick up their pace by using the Body Flicker Technique. Simultaneously, they both land beside an exanimate Saeko, and her brother Mitsue, who was a complete stranger to them.

"Who are you?" Kaito says as he sees Saeko laying on Mitsue's lap. "And what have you done to her?"

Kiba keeps his distance, while Kaito attempts to take his wife out of the arms of what he knew to be a stranger. However, Mitsue holds out his hand to prevent Kaito from coming closer.

"D-don't come closer… I- I'm about to lose it…" Mitsue says.

"What on earth do you mean? Let go of her! She's my wife!" Kaito yells.

"She's special to me too… She's my sister! Just lea-"

Before Mituse could finish speaking, his eyes changed from their natural bright turquoise colour to a dull violet. His elevated arm trembles and so does the rest of his body.

"G-get away… I'm so sorry... I didn't want to k-kill her. LEAVE!"

Kaito froze and entered a state of shock as the mysterious man was enveloped by a thin layer of dark blue chakra and yelled in agony. Kiba was also in shock but he always had much higher intelligence and calmer demeanour than his older brother, qualities that their father favoured very much. He hypothesised that the individual unknown to them was being controlled in a way and there must have been a jutsu placed on him to make him change suddenly in a matter of seconds.

Mitsue thrusted Saeko aside without an atom of remorse and looked into Kaito's eyes. This gesture poured pure, undiluted rage into his heart, putting Kaito into an uncontrollable frenzy with the lust to end Mitsue's life. Kaito shoots out multiple large spears of ice from his hands to pierce him. Mitsue not only dodges the attacks but grabs Saeko's body and holds it in front of a spear - causing Kaito to indirectly stab the love of his life.

As he freezes yet again, Kaito drops to his knees and weeps uncontrollably. His bottomless love for Saeko and the reality that he stabbed her, fed his conscious a multitude of negative thoughts. Self-hate, betrayal, infirmity, doubt and depression.

"Brother! Get a grip of yourself!" Kiba says as he tries to take Kaito away from Mitsue's vicinity.

"Hm," Mitsue says under his breath.

Kiba grabs Kaito by the collar and gives him the slap of his life. He then dashes all around Mitsue, as to confuse him, using his speed to try to find the perfect opportunity to land a lethal attack. Mitsue is able to easily sense Kiba's location despite his speed and decides to attack a now vulnerable Kaito. In a split second, a bunch of chakra chains extended from his abdomen and take aim on Kaito.

As Kiba sees this, he uses the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of his brother and attempt lifting him away from immediate danger. Regrettably, these chains were incredibly fast and didn't allow the two to escape. Their vital organs were at the complete mercy of these chains as they were impaled ruthlessly and Mitsue was slightly frowning as he watched life sap away from the pair.

"Brother… You're such an idiot. Never knew you were this much weaker than I," Kiba says while smiling and chuckling weakly, giving up the ghost shortly after.

"I- ..."

Three stone-cold bodies now lie on the uneven, rough earth, left to rot by a manipulated member of their not-so-distant family. Mitsue comes closer to Saeko and grabs out a kunai from his pocket to cut a large portion of her hair.

He lays down the corpses, side by side, before walking out of the sanguinary scene without a word - crisp snowflakes descending from heaven. Crimson traces of blood, crystallizing in the sub-zero tundra. The fresh scent of brutally assaulted carcasses.


End file.
